Trapped In A Purple Haze
by xXxAngelDestined2FallxXx
Summary: Based on the movie. When Bella's old friend Max comes for a visit, Bella learns that he's developed a dangerous new habit. He convinces her to be a part of it and she steps into it, only to find out that there may be no stepping out. There may not be hope for Max to recover, but maybe Bella still has a chance. But she can't stop the addiction from taking over her. Will she make it?
1. Max

Bella's POV

"I'll be back to pick you up in the morning," Edward told me as I got out of his car at my house. I was ten minutes early so I knew Charlie wouldn't be in a bad mood. Suddenly, Edward looked at the house for w minute, then back at me. "If I were you, I'd hurry up. Somebody in there is anxious to see you."

I furrowed my brow in confusion but nodded. "I love you."

He smiled genuinely. "As I love you."

I shut the door and started walking to my house. Edward drove off after I was safely inside and I shrugged out of my coat.

"Dad!" I called. "I'm home."

"In here, Bells," he called back.

I walked to the living room and found him sitting on the couch, with an enormous smile on his face.

"What is it, dad?"

"You'll never guess who came to visit." He looked to the chair that was behind me and I turned as well, to come face to face with Max. I smiled and immediately jumped into his open arms. "I'll leave you two alone to catch up." Charlie walked out the room and trudged up the stairs, something he would never do if I was with Edward.

Max is an old friend from Phoenix. We grew up together and no one had been more upset than he was to hear that I was moving to come to Forks. I loved him. Once I'd met Edward, I hadn't thought about him too much. I did miss him, of course, just not as much as I felt I should have. I tried not to let the guilt take over me and just felt relief at having his large arms around me again. After a minute, I pulled back to look into his warm, hazel eyes. They were just as bright as I remembered; only now they were surrounded by red that almost looked like a rash. He also seemed kind of pale. He must have flu or be recovering from one. I was also pretty sick during my first few days here because of the change of climate, but it does wear off. Other than that though, he hadn't changed much at all. His hair was still the dirty blond color I remembered it to be; only it no longer hung to his shoulders in an untidy way. Now it was cut and styled into spikes on his head. And his cheeks looked slightly sunken in, he had definitely lost a boat-load of baby-fat, and he hadn't had much to start with. But he was here! And I was so happy. I wasn't going to let these trivial things get in the way of my happiness tonight.

"I'm so happy you're here," I said honestly.

He nodded in agreement. "I had to see that you hadn't died on me. With your luck, you might have tripped off a bridge or something."

I grinned at how well he knew me. My bad luck _had _skyrocketed since I had come here. I blushed and quickly got off him. He stood up and stretched. He used to be my height and now he was much taller than me. Not as tall as Jacob, but still very tall. His muscular arms were still that, but they had lost most of their bulk. This was easily seen through his gray vest and blue jeans. The weight he had lost almost made him _fragile_ but I knew he would never be. It was just my imagination wearing on me. I had been seeing so much muscle and supernatural abilities that I must have forgotten what normal human guys were supposed to look like.

"How did you get here?" I asked gleefully.

"My dad gave me some money to fly down here, but I decided to spend it on gas to drive. We can use the rest for our own indulgences." He winked at me. "I'll be a pain in your rib cage for the next few weeks; my school is on vacation."

I shook my head. "I don't mind! I'm glad!"

"I've been waiting here for you forever. Charlie said you were with your boyfriend Edwin and I-"

"It's Edward," I corrected. "They're not on the best terms at the moment."

He smiled easily. "Fine by me. I would like to meet him though."

"Tomorrow he's picking me up for school," I told him.

His face fell. "I was actually hoping you would take a day off for me. It's a Friday; I doubt you'll miss anything major. I wanted to talk to you, get to know how life is here."

I smiled. "You know what? I'm so happy to see you that I might just do that." I yawned and looked at the pretend bed Charlie must have set up on the couch. "You'll be okay here for tonight?" I asked.

He waved me off. "Yeah, sure. I'll see you in the morning, Bells. Love ya."

I nodded and headed to the stairs. "Good night, Max."

I left the window open and waited patiently for Edward to come in. As tired as I was I wanted to tell him the good news, even though he obviously already knew. I only had to wait about twenty minutes before I felt his cool arms around me and his lips on my forehead.

"Edward," I mumbled sleepily, stubbornly trying to tell him about Max. "My friend Max is here. He's staying here for a while. Isn't that great?" I slurred my words and was shocked that Edward understood them.

"I know. I heard his thoughts." There was a smile in his voice when he continued. "He seems very . . . genuine. He was very pleased to hear the car pull up. He actually seems nice."

I smiled dreamily. "I know. He was like my best friend in Phoenix. He's changed some, but he still acts the same. I don't think I'll go to school tomorrow; I want to spend some time with him"

He nodded and tucked me into the sheet in a way that I would still feel him but wouldn't have to endure his cold temperature against my hot skin. "I'll explain that you're sick to our teachers. I won't come pick you up. I hope you have a good time."

I sighed in contentment. "Thanks Edward. I'm happy he's here."

He chuckled. "And I'm happy that you're happy." He kissed my lips softly. "Sleep, my Bella. You've had a long day." Then he started humming my lullaby and I knew I wouldn't be able to keep myself awake any longer.

I gave in, nestling into his hard chest and let myself drift into dreams of Max and Edward. Something about All of Max's differences made me uneasy in the strangest way. I couldn't fathom it. He just didn't seem . . . right. It didn't take long for my dreams to dissolve into nightmares of the new Max. But I persistently held onto the thought that just because he looked different, didn't mean he wasn't my Max anymore. Did it?


	2. He Does Heroine

Bella's POV

The next morning I woke up alone and heard someone sweeping the floor downstairs. I knew it couldn't have been Charlie; he never swept and he would have left for work already. Max _had _always been a neat-freak. I smiled and jumped out of bed, eager to begin my day with him. As quickly as I could, I threw on old jeans and a dark blue, long-sleeved shirt that Edward had once complimented. After brushing my teeth and hair and thoroughly assessing myself in the mirror, I ran down the stairs and found Max pacing around the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

My voice seemed to shock him and he jumped back, his eyes widening. I noticed that he was visibly shaking; almost shivering, and he was sweating slightly. Strange, it wasn't that cold at all. Must be a cold, I decided.

"Yeah, fine," he said through tight lips. "Did you want to eat before we leave?"

I analyzed his erratic form and figured he must want to get out of the stuffy house.

"No," I answered slowly. "Let's go."

I followed him out the door and into the dim, cool morning of Forks. I knew Edward wouldn't be coming to pick me up.

"What are we doing today?" I asked him as he started walking towards the trail in the woods.

He smiled back at me. "I thought we could talk somewhere peaceful. We won't be disturbed in the forest, will we?"

I was about to tell him no but my mind went to the enormous mutant wolves that were running around the forest at this moment searching for a blood-thirsty vampire who was looking for me. I shuddered at how selfish I was. The minute I saw him here I should have told him to go back home. How could I have him here when everywhere I go someone is trying to kill me? I was a bad person. Though I doubted that anyone would attack us on the trail.

"We'll be okay," I said at last.

We walked through the trees in silence until we were far enough into the woods that I could just barely see my house. The trail was pretty basic so there was no way that either of us could get lost as long as we stayed on it. We came to a tree trunk and Max sat down on the ground, leaning his back against it. I followed his lead and sighed.

"What are you doing tomorrow, Bella?" he asked me.

I thought about it. "I was meaning to see my friend Jacob, but I'm sure we can reschedule . . ." I was actually really looking forward to seeing Jake, but I didn't want to just leave Max alone. I didn't know if he would be comfortable around the people in La Push.

"No!" he said. "That's perfect. I've got an appointment tomorrow and I didn't want to leave you alone so . . ." he trailed off.

"What appointment?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Just meeting this guy, Kyle. He owes me some stuff that I'd like to collect."

I nodded, pretending to understand what he meant, and let the subject drop. For the rest of the day, we talked, as he had promised. He wanted to know about my life in Forks. The friends I had made, what school was like, what I did for fun. It all went fairly smoothly, until he started asking about Edward. Not that I didn't want to talk about him, I loved talking about him, but I was reluctant to say much about anything to anyone when it came to the Cullens. Normal people would never understand the full story.

"How did you two meet?" he asked.

I sighed. "We're lab partners in Biology."

He nodded. "Tell me about him. What's he like?"

I thought about it, not wanting to express just _how much _I was in love with the boy. "He's smart, funny, sweet . . . His sister is one of my closest friends here," I added, trying to get the topic off of my soul mate before I let too much slip. "Her name is Alice. She's our age. She absolutely loathes it when I wear the same outfit twice."

He laughed and I took the opportunity to ask about him. What he had been doing since I had left . . . how everyone else was back in Phoenix . . . how school had been . . . how his parents and brother were . . . if he had dated any girls since I left. Apparently, he had only dated one. Her name was Molly but she was bad news. I was glad to hear that he took care of himself before things got out of hand. Pretty soon, too soon, the sun began to hang low in the sky and I groaned. I didn't want to stop talking to him. I had missed him so much!

"Hey," he said, his voice taking a strange new lilt, "do you mind if I do something?"

I shook my head and watched as he pulled out a small vial and a piece of cardboard from his pocket. The vial held a white powder and I gasped when I saw him spread it neatly on the board.

"Is that coke?" I asked, worriedly.

"It's better than cocaine," he told me deviously, rolling a dollar bill between his fingers. "Heroine."

I gasped. Everything started fitting into place. The weight loss . . . the red around his eyes . . . his pale skin and thin hair . . .  
Had my Max started doing drugs? No. He couldn't have. But it was so obvious. My mind instantly rejected the words, not wanting to make sense of it.

"How long have you been on heroine?" I asked, trying to feign a lack of interest.

"A few months," he said coolly. "Molly really messed me up. But don't worry;" he said quickly, "I'm not a junkie or anything. I just do it for fun. It cools me down, you know?"

I watched him lift it to his nostril and snort in a deep, even breath. My eyes were wide upon realizing exactly how much he had changed. Could he still be my Max while he was on drugs? As I debated this, an image came to mind. It was Max, before I had left Phoenix. The old Max. The Max that had pretty, tan skin instead of chalky white. With shaggy hair that reached his shoulders in a thick mop rather than cropped on his head. Whose eyes were fresh and alive at all times. But even without all these things, he still had my warm smile that could brighten up my day. He still had eyes that sparkled no mater what. He was still warm. Even without all these things, he was still my Max. I wouldn't judge him for the choices he made while I was away. Besides, he said he only did it for fun. Where's the harm?

"Do you want some?" he asked slowly, meeting my eye. "It really does help ease nerves."

I broke away from his frantic eyes and gazed at the powder. It beckoned me. He seemed to be doing okay. This was Max, he wouldn't really offer me something that he thought would hurt me. I was sure of that. But I hesitated, thinking of Charlie and Edward and even Jake.

"No, thank you," I told him.

He smiled my Max smile and snorted the rest. "Your loss," he muttered, packing the stuff back into his pocket and standing up.

"You'd better keep that away from Charlie," I said, standing up too. "He'd die if he found you with it, being the chief of police and all."

He surprised me by laughing out loud. A real laugh. I couldn't help but join in. when we emerged from the forest and approached my house, I saw Edward standing there, facing us. I stopped laughing and Max did the same, though there was a smirk on his face that I didn't like. He eased up when Edward broke into his crooked grin that I loved.

"Hey," I said as we got closer. "Edward this is Max," I said gesturing to him. "This is my boyfriend," I told Max who grinned widely.

"Great to meet you, Edward," he said warmly. The erratic tremors that had rocketed through him this morning were gone, and not one bead of sweat could be seen on his porcelain skin.

"Likewise," Edward said just as friendly. "Bella has told me so much about you, Max." The shook hands briefly and Max didn't even flinch at Edward's cool skin. I had to remind myself that he didn't have a cold, it was the drugs making him appear so sick. But I didn't dwell on that. Edward turned to me, a concerned look in his eye. "I thought I told you not to go into the woods."

I rolled my eyes. "We were on the trail. Nothing happened or would have happened." I put my hand on his and looked pointedly at Max, reminding him that this wasn't the best time to delve into the complexities of evil vampires and giant werewolves. "I need to call Jacob later, to remind him that I'll be there tomorrow. Are you still going . . . hiking?" I used the name that they did whenever they referred to their hunting trips in front of humans.

"Yes," he said. His eyes were black as pitch and I took a step back, giving him some room to breathe.

"Max," I said, "come on and I'll make you something to eat." I looked up at Edward and smiled, showing him that he was welcome to join us and that he wouldn't be intruding.

Max smiled but shook his head. "Actually, I'm not that hungry. But a movie sounds fantastic right about now!"

I laughed at the enthusiasm in his voice. This was my Max. That would never change.


	3. First Hit

Bella's POV

I woke up and instinctively smiled upon feeling Edward's cold arms around me.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, beautiful," he whispered, tightening his hold on me.

I breathed out a laugh and looked up at his glorious face. His eyes were black as pitch and there were dark bruises under them. I hated seeing him like this, but I knew he was going hunting today. On regular circumstances, I would hate to let him leave, but I would be with Jake today, then Max. I would be pretty occupied. I glanced at the clock behind him. It was only 8:00am.

"Is Max still sleeping?" I rasped, and then cleared my throat.

"No, he got up and left about two hours ago."

I blanched and my eyebrows shot up. "Already?" I didn't remember Max ever even waking up on a Saturday without somebody pushing him off the bed.

"His mind was actually rather frantic. He was very keyed up over something." Edward sat up and I pulled my self up against him.

"What was he thinking about?" I asked.

Edward hesitated. "It's hard to say. His mind was blurry. Almost like he couldn't focus on one thing. Or . . . well, it's hard to explain . . ." he trailed off, but I waited patiently for him to continue. "Well, it's like he wasn't doing the thinking for himself. Like it was more . . . instinctual than anything. It was fascinating. I've never read a human's mind like his before. But his more clearer thoughts were centered mostly around needing money. He seemed pretty desperate. Was he okay?" He looked into my eyes and I didn't no what to say.

The drugs must have been doing that to him. Maybe I should tell someone . . . I wanted to tell Edward that no, he wasn't alright. He was on heroine. He needs help. I was about to say all this when I hesitated. I didn't want to get Max into trouble. This was our secret. I didn't want Edward to know. What if he judged him? What if he forced Max to get help? What if he told me not to be friends with him anymore?

"No," I answered him glumly. "Nothing's _wrong _with him." I tried to make the sentence as truthful as possible, knowing he would easily read through my lies. I quickly changed the subject before he could ask. "What time are you and Alice leaving?"

He shrugged. "As soon as you leave for La Push. We won't be very far but the wolves should be able to protect you for a couple of days."

I stroked the dark purple shadows under his eyes and decided that the sooner he leaves, the better. I got up and gestured to the window.

"Well, I'm leaving now so you can go. I'm sure Alice is impatient." I hated when he left, but today I knew I wouldn't be alone, and I wouldn't be babysat. I was sure I could handle a few days without him.

"I'll wait for you downstairs," he said.

There was a slight breeze and he was gone, the door shut behind him. He waited patiently for me while I got ready. I dressed into a pair of faded jeans and a red shirt and sneakers and ran downstairs into Edward's open arms.

"I'm going to miss you," I said into his chest.

"I'll be just one phone call away if you need me. I'll have my phone on me and Alice will have hers."

He held me tighter before letting me go. I held onto him stubbornly for a second longer before releasing him. He chuckled and pulled me down for a quick peck. We walked out hand in hand and he stopped next to my truck.

"You know," I said, "I just realized something. We haven't kissed in over a day."

He chuckled. "I just kissed you inside the house, love."

I shook my head. "I mean, really kissed." I raised one eyebrow and shivered as he put his large hands on my waist.

"What kind of a kiss are we talking about?" He pulled me closer and placed his lips on my neck.

I groaned with impatience. "A _real _kiss, Edward." I tried to sound demanding but the panting made me sound desperate. Which I was. "Please?"

He chuckled against my throat and I shivered again. I grabbed his chest and tried to pull him closer. He let his hands travel down to my hips and he pulled me into his own. I was about to moan, when his lips crashed into mine. I moaned into the kiss and somehow felt hot against his cold body. His lips moved urgently against mine and I felt his hands rubbing my back. Ever so gently, he let his icy tongue trace my bottom lip. I sighed and, of course, he pulled back slowly. I stretched as far as I could on my tip-toes until finally I had to let go.

"Alice is probably planning on leaving without me at this point." He opened the door for me and lifted me onto the seat. "I love you."

I smiled. "Love you. Come home to me," I ordered as I pulled out of the driveway.

"Always." He waved goodbye as I drove away.

La Push was only twenty minutes away and I tried not to think too much about where Max might be, and why he left so early this morning. When I got to Jake's house he was waiting in the shed. He was working on his car again when I walked in and I just took a seat next to where he was working.

"Hey," I greeted.

He smiled up at me. "Hi. My dad told me you have a visitor. I was surprised you came today. Your dad told him," he continued when he saw my expression.

I nodded. "He had somewhere to be today. I missed you," I added, hoping he didn't think the only reason I came was because I had no other options. "Working on the car again?"

He smiled. "Yeah, I'm changing the master cylinder to increase horse power." I stared at him as if he had just spoken pig Latin. "I'm going to make it go faster," he said slowly, rolling his eyes.

I nodded and picked up a wrench, fiddling with it. I wanted to talk about Max, the things I'd learned about him. Out of everyone, I knew I could trust Jacob with this information. He wouldn't tell Charlie or even his own father if I made it clear that it was a secret. I knew I could talk to him about anything.

"Can I talk to you about Max . . . he's the guy that's staying at my house." I asked.

He lifted his huge body off the floor and pulled a bucket from against the wooden wall. He pushed up beside my chair and sat on it, wiping his grease-covered hands on an old rag.

"I'm listening," he sighed.

"He's changed," I told him, watching his hands.

"What's changed about him," he asked when I didn't continue. I could tell that he was trying to make this easier on me and I appreciated it.

"He's . . . into different things now . . . things that are bad."

I looked up at his face and noticed that the bitter mask he usually wore these days was wiped clean off his face. He suddenly looked like the less mature, friendly kid that would always know how to comfort me. My friend Jacob that didn't make life so complicated. I almost smiled in pleasure at the evident concern and worry on his face

"What things?" he encouraged, looking into my eyes.

I took a deep breath. "We were talking yesterday and he pulled something out of his pocket." I paused. Jacob was staring at me intently, waiting for the rest of the story. "It was heroine," I whispered at last.

Jacob's eyes widened and he squeezed my hands. "Are you sure?"

I nodded and pulled away from him. "He told me it was just for fun. That it wasn't anything serious. But he just seemed so jumpy yesterday before he took a hit." I shivered, remembering the slight tremors that had rocked through is body.

"Man, that's bad," he breathed out, looking at me from under his dark lashes. "So . . . he's on drugs."

I looked down. "He tried to convince me to snort it with him," I whispered so softly I didn't think he would hear it.

I felt his hands stiffen over mine. "Did you?" he asked at last, the tone of his voice unfathomable.

I shook my head vehemently. "No! Of course not! That's just not me . . ."

Jake nodded and released my hands, now wet with sweat from the heat.

"Well," he said at last, relaxing, "everyone experiments at some point in life, I guess." I nodded, slightly comforted by his words. It was true, a lot of people experiment. "Just be careful, okay?" he asked seriously. "Don't be pressured into the wrong things because he's your friend." I nodded, relieved that Jacob didn't seem to find this at all a tragedy. I was sad, however, when the concerned and friendly face disappeared and the hard mask returned. "What did your bloodsucker say when you told him this? I'll bet he wasn't too pleased."

I sighed. "I'm not gonna tell anyone. I just needed someone to reassure me that this was no big deal."

"Oh, it is a big deal!" he bellowed. "But you don't need to be over-anxious."

I knew Max would be back by now and I didn't want to be a bad host.

"Max will be back soon if he isn't already," I told Jake, standing up.

"Where did he go anyway?"

I shrugged. "He said he was going to see some guy named Kyle."

Jacob stood up and looked in me in the eye. "Would that be Kyle Tomlinson?!" he asked hurriedly.

"I don't know. Why?" I didn't like the look in his eye.

"Bella, there's a guy named Kyle that lives in a cheap motel in Port Angeles. He's a drug dealer." That would explain his thoughts about needing money this morning. "Bells, I've heard that Kyle is expensive, and that no one goes to him unless they're desperate! This doesn't sound like someone who does heroine just for fun."

I waved him off. "I'm sure it's fine, Jacob, really."

I made sure to leave before Jacob could worry me with anything else. When I pulled into the driveway Max was leaning against his red Porsche, looking sicker than ever.

"Welcome home, gorgeous," he said when I walked up to him. I noticed he was slightly trembling.

"Are you okay? You look sick."

He shook his head. "I'm alright." He walked over to my truck and jumped into the back. I followed him and we sat close together on the cold surface. He pulled out more white powder from his pocket and the same crumpled dollar note from yesterday.

"Is Kyle a drug dealer?" I asked suddenly.

He laughed. "I knew you'd figure it out," he said, laying the drugs on a board. "How was your friend?"

"Jake is fine. It was nice to spend some time with him." I thought of the look in his eye when he let his guard down every so often. "I would probably visit more if Edward liked him a little more," I admitted.

"Edward has a problem with Jacob?" he asked, intrigued.

"Not a problem," I said, "he, well, he doesn't really _like _him, but he puts up with him for me. He's civil towards him. He knows how much I care about Jacob."

"Why would he have a problem in the first place?" he persisted.

I wished I had never brought it up. This was hard to explain to a human. Yet again, it would be nice to hear the opinion of someone who wasn't biased. "Jacob likes me . . . more than a friend. He knows I don't like him that way, so he doesn't try anything . . . most of the time . . . but Edward still doesn't really get along with him." I sighed. "It's really annoying."

Max chuckled and nudged me. "It sounds like something I wouldn't want to get used to. Pretty sticky, that situation is." He offered me the rolled up note. "This will definitely help you calm down and forget about it."

I was already shaking my head. "Listen, Max, I love you but I don't know that I want to do heroine . . ."

He groaned. "Come on, Bella!" he complained softly. "Do you really think I would hurt you?" I sighed, knowing that he wouldn't. "I just want you to feel better. To feel good. Don't you want to feel good, just for a little while?" He gazed up at me convincingly, and I forgot my original argument.

What harm could it do? I knew Max would never do anything to hurt me. I took the note and held my breath, feeling anxious as he lifted the board with the powder to my face. My heart beat fast as I put the note to my nostril and the other end to the heroine. Without thinking, I just copied what he had done yesterday and breathed deeply through my nose. The powder flew up my nose and I reclined my head quickly sniffing hard as my body tried to reject the unfamiliar substance that had entered my body. I sniffed loudly, trying to get rid of the remnants in my nostril. It felt strange, unwanted. Max sniffed his as I struggled against my body. Suddenly, my stomach did a belly-flop and I felt sick. My body was, no doubt, reacting to the heroine for the first time and I knew what was about to happen. I leaned over the side of the truck and vomited everything that I had eaten onto the damp floor below. Max rubbed my back as I puked, and as I finished, I felt a rush of calm flood my system. It felt good. I invited it, knowing that it was the high from the drugs. For the first time in a very long time, I forgot absolutely every worry I had.


	4. Meeting Kyle and Slight Changes

Bella's POV

I watched as Max emerged from the house and approached me; he had told me to wait outside for him; and I was anxious to know what exactly he was planning on us doing. It had been two days since Edward left and I knew he and Alice would be back today. And it was school tomorrow so I wanted to spend as much time with Max as I could before I abandoned him at home for half a day. I had snorted heroin only three times since he first came here, and the effects it had on my body was strange. I didn't feel like _me _anymore. I felt in control. I liked the high that came with the drugs. I loved the feeling of power. I had gotten so used to it now I didn't even cough or putter when I sniffed the white powder.

"Let's go," Max said, jumping into the driver's seat of his car.

"Where are we going again?" I asked, strapping myself in.

"We are going to see Kyle. I just ran out so . . ."

A part of me wanted to ask him why he needed to replace it so quickly if he just did it for fun. That maybe we should stop it for a while. But a larger part of me, the in-control part, wanted it just as badly as he did. I didn't know why. I had only had three hits in my life. But I wanted more. I was pretty sure I didn't _need_ it, but I wanted it badly.

The drive was short and it took us to a sleazy-looking place in Port Angeles that was filled with broken down houses and frightening motels. He stopped in front of one with brick tiling and broken windows. I couldn't read the name, the sign had been almost demolished, but it sure looked like a place a drug-dealer would stay. I walked up the creaky stairs hurriedly, trying not to look as frightened as I was, and trailing directly behind Max, who seemed completely at-ease with this establishment. He stopped at a door with a gold-plated number 27 on it and knocked three times, deliberately slowly. Someone opened the door a tiny bit, just enough to show one eye.

"What do you want?" a deep voice asked.

"We're here to see Kyle," Max said softly.

The door shut in our faces and I was prepared to turn and bolt at the menacing sound, but it opened again, all the way. The man was tall and muscular, but no older than twenty. He walked through the dirty apartment and Max followed him, me on his tail. The guy stopped at a doorway in front of one of the rooms and Max walked in. I stayed at the door frame, trying to peer over his shoulder. The television was set on what appeared to be a video game and there, sitting on the bed, was a scrawny looking kid no older than Jacob if he was even that. His blond waves fell over his face and he was swiftly working on a controller in his hand.

"What do you want?" he asked the same question as the guys at the door. I recognized him to be Kyle, from Max's vague descriptions, apparently, he changed his identity the way we change our underwear.

"We want stuff," Max answered plainly.

Kyle paused the game he was playing and looked over at Max. "Nice to see you again so soon," he said smiling. He peered over Max's shoulder and his smile widened in a terrifying way as his eyes found me. "Who's your friend?"

Max shook his head. "The stuff?"

"Is she any good?" Kyle persisted, not taking his eyes off me. His intent gaze was beginning to make me uncomfortable. "Why don't you let me find out for myself? You won't even have to pay for the H. Just leave me in a room with her for about an hour." I shivered, definitely uncomfortable now.

"I will fuck you up so badly if you don't take your damn eyes off her and give us what we came for!" Max roared. I flinched at the severity of his tone; I didn't like this Max. He had explained to me that he needs to put his tough face on when dealing with these things, it didn't make it any easier.

Kyle sighed and rolled off the bed, opening a dresser drawer and digging around in it. Eventually, he pulled out a CD case and, upon opening it up I saw that he had dozens of vials filled with powders and liquids.

"I have one more Hellfire to spare for cheap," he told us, picking up a vial of white powder. "Only $20."

I gasped. $20 for that tiny bottle?! I was shocked to know that Max would pay such a price. But I gazed at the bottle in Kyle's fingers and felt a pull towards it. I watched impatiently as Max pulled out a crisp note from his wallet and handed it to him. They traded items and Max and I were out of there within minutes.

"He is so creepy," I said as soon as we were out in the open again.

Max nodded. "Yeah, but he knows what he's doing." He pulled out the vial.

"You're gonna do that here?" I asked.

"Why not here?' he countered, tapping it gently onto a piece of board. He sniffed up half of it and handed it to me. I took the rolled note greedily and snorted up my portion, rubbing my nose to get rid of any specks of powder. "Let's go home," he said once we were both done.

Edward was in the driveway when we got back, obviously waiting for me. I put on my innocent face and trudged forward to meet him, internally stressing about how I was going to find a way to do my heroin with him around. I was shocked at myself. I was usually, well actually always, so pleased to see Edward after he had been away.

He pulled me into a hug and unexpectedly turned to Max.

"Max," he started, surprising Max too, "I was thinking about taking you and Bella over to my house for the rest of the day. It would be nice for you to meet everyone seeing that you are such a big part of Bella's life." He looked down at me. "Everyone has been missing you terribly, as well. Alice wants to show you all her new outfits and Esme is dying for you to see the new living room décor."

I smiled at the thought of seeing Esme again for the first time in a long time. Every other Cullen was easy to come by, the 'children' at school and Carlisle during my frequent visits to the ER. Esme was the only one I would barely see. I missed her. And I knew Alice would never forgive me if I didn't come by today. But I looked over at Max, cocking my head to the side. I wanted to hear whether he really wanted to go.

He shrugged. "Sure, sounds like fun . . ."

I smiled and looked back at Edward. "Go tell everyone we're both coming. Pick us up in about an hour so we can get ready, okay?" I pecked his cheek before grabbing Max and running into the house with him.

He followed me up the stairs as I raided my closet for something more decent to wear. I didn't want another lecture from Alice.

"So," he said as I dug through my clothes. "Tell me about the Cullens. Let me know what I'm about to deal with."

I thought about it and remembered that, back when Edward first wanted to introduce me to his family, I would have liked some pointers and tips on how to treat each one of them.

"There are five adopted kids altogether. They're parents are Esme and Carlisle," I told him.

"What are the parents like?"

"Carlisle is a doctor in the hospital and I'm a regular patient." He chuckled at that but I ignored him. "Just talk to him about how I used to get hurt a lot in Phoenix or something and he'll relate to it well. Esme loves to cook and puts a lot of effort into her food. No doubt she'll feed us tonight." I grimaced, not knowing if I could manage to eat anything. My system was full . . . "Compliment the food or complain about how hungry you are."

"You told me about Alice," he said, probably thinking of what I'd told him a few days ago. "She's the one who likes fashion. Any tips on how to get by her?"

"She's dating one of the other kids, Jasper," I told him. He wasn't as fazed by this as the rest of the students at school were. He understood what I meant about all of them being adopted and I was glad I didn't have to defend them against judgment with him. "Say something nice about her outfit or shoes or jewelry and she'll instantly accept you into the family with open arms. Jasper is . . . complicated." I didn't know what I could say to him about Alice's soul mate and one true love, especially not really being too involved with him myself since my dreaded eighteenth birthday. I knew I should tell Max to stay away from him but I didn't know how to say it without sounding harsh. "He's . . . not a people's person. Not very sociable. He's nice and all, but I would keep my distance if I were you . . ." There, that was good enough.

"There are two more." He prompted.

"Emmett and Rosalie," I told him. "They're together too. Emmett is very much like the goofball big brother I would always tell you I wanted. He's a lot of fun. He may look intimidating because of his size, but he's a big sweetheart when he wants to be. Make a joke or something, and laugh at all of his." I struggled to find the right words to describe Rosalie. "Rose is . . . tenacious. She doesn't really like guests so don't try to get into her space." That was the best I could do.

He nodded, taking all the information in and processing it, probably thinking of ways to put it into action. While he thought, I dressed into a knee-length denim skirt and a blue shirt with slight ruffles traveling down it. Alice, of course, had urged me to get it. I had to admit, it was a pretty shirt I looked at myself in the mirror and what I saw shocked me. I hadn't really seen myself in a few days, my reflection I mean, and I couldn't believe how much I had changed physically. My thick hair was matted and hanging dully to my mid-waist, almost looking lifeless. My skin was somehow paler, if that were even possible, and stretched in a scary way. My eyes were bright and alert and my arms looked rather skinny. It was obvious that I had lost some weight, the thought was worrying since I knew I was a little under-weight for someone my height before. I pushed the thoughts aside, knowing what had caused this and trying not to think of it.

A car horn sounded from outside and I saw Edward's Volvo, parked and waiting. I took a deep breath and wondered if Carlisle, being a doctor and all would notice all this and realize what had caused it. No, I though to myself as we got to the car, it wasn't that obvious.


End file.
